Shao Hua’s coworker was about the same height as her. However, the coworker’s white face had two obvious butterfly-shaped red patches. Zhang Fan was quite certain what she had: systemic lupus erythematosus! Why had he sighed? That was because this disease was incurable!

Any disease which had the word “systemic” in its name would mean that it was truly troublesome to deal with. Lupus was a classical example of a disease which would express itself all over the body. The disease was in the blood vessels, and it would show on the entire body. Since blood vessels were everywhere in the body, this meant that every single organ would be affected by this disease.

This could affect the brain, causing epilepsy or a major change in personality. In the heart, it might cause verrucous hyperplasia. Other organs would all have their own problems associated with lupus as well. The kidney would be in the worst condition of all. The majority of patients with lupus would finally end up dying of kidney failure!

“Shao Hua!” Zhang Fan greeted his girlfriend.

“Zhang Fan, this is my coworker, Miss Wang.” When Shao Hua saw Zhang Fan in his white doctor’s coat, she suddenly felt that he had a different aura while wearing a doctor’s coat, and that he was rather attractive while wearing it!

“Ah. Hello, Miss Wang.”

“Hello, Doctor Zhang. I’ll be troubling you today.” Shao Hua’s coworker greeted him politely. She did her best to smile, although the smile was obviously forced.

“It’s alright, this is no trouble at all. Here, let me take you to our director. He can check things for you,” Zhang Fan told her while bringing her and Shao Hua to the director’s office.

The patient’s name was Wang Yan. She was currently 28 years old. This was typically the age at which a woman was at her most charismatic. She would be mature and alluring.

Wang Yan had just gotten married half a year ago. She went on vacation to a pacific island recently. As she was from northwestern China, she had never seen the ocean before, and was really curious about it. She had fun wearing a bikini while she was there, while also enjoying some sunbathing. However, when she returned to China, she started to experience symmetrical swelling in both her hands. The pain was sometimes bad, while at other times it would disappear. She underwent a basic checkup, but no evident problems were found at that time, so she didn’t pay it much attention back then. But, not long after, she started having a red rash on her face, oral ulcers, and constant fevers!

Director Wu asked the patient for her medical history and performed a regular checkup for her. “Sigh!” Wu Wanghong sighed as he told Wang Yan, “You should hospitalize yourself.”

“Director, is this systemic lupus erythematosus?” Tears were now brewing in Wang Yan’s eyes, on top of her pale cheeks with the red rash upon it. She really wished that the director would tell her that it wasn’t lupus!

“I really hope not! You should first undergo the necessary examination. Don’t feel too much pressure.”

Wang Yan’s tears directly started pouring out now. Her hands trembled as she brought out her cell phone. In fact, her hands trembled too much that she was unable to even accurately type in her cell phone password! Shao Hua immediately hugged Wang Yan in a gentle embrace.

“Hua! Aaah! How could this happen to me! Why would this happen to me! Aaah!” Tears of bitterness covered Wang Yan’s face. Shao Hua was an empathic woman, so when her coworker suddenly burst into tears, Shao Hua dripped tears as well. Although Shao Hua didn’t actually know what lupus was, she still couldn’t help but let her tears flow as well!

“Take her in as your patient. You should first try and console her. Don’t feel too much pressure from this, either,” Director Wu secretly whispered to Zhang Fan before leaving the three alone in his office.

Zhang Fan looked over at Shao Hua, whose eyes were clouded with tears as she accompanied her coworker in crying. Shao Hua was being a bit silly! What could Zhang Fan even do? Zhang Fan gently pointed outside the door, indicating that he was leaving. He decided to first let Shao Hua help calm down her coworker’s emotions.

Lupus was a disease characterized by a 9:1 female to male ratio of disease incidence. Lupus was also one of the most vicious rheumatic diseases. Not only was it incurable, it could even cause miscarriages. Some female patients whose lupus seemed to improve to the point of no longer having any evident symptoms would sometimes want to have children. However, the lupus would then cause a miscarriage and give the women such a major impact.

Lupus would bring pain all over your body, red rashes all over, sore joints, a feeling of disgust that would make you want to vomit, and so on. Still, at least there would be pain medication to treat these symptoms.

It was truly heartbreaking how others would treat people who had lupus. Husbands would demand divorce, parents would cry endlessly, and many others would have a look of repulsion. This would be heartrending and truly pitiful for the patient. These successive impacts would make any woman wilt even though she was at the best age to bloom! She might wilt completely in a single night! Was this really her fault?

Wang Yan cried! Wang Yan cried her heart out! This was an information society where anyone could look up information easily on the internet. Wang Yan had already researched her own symptoms and lupus on the internet! In the end, the diagnosis was indeed that she had lupus! Wang Yan wiped away her tears. No matter how difficult things were for her, she would still continue onward. She was an only child. For the sake of her parents, she couldn’t die! She gritted her teeth, raised her head, and let her tears pour away! Any more tears would have to pour into her stomach!

“Hua, thank you! I caused you to cry as well.” Wang Yan stopped crying!

“That’s no problem, Sister Wang. Zhang Fan’s truly skilled. He’ll be able to cure you. Please don’t feel too bad.” Shao Hua seemed really cute with her misty eyes. She seemed just like a blooming flower with dewdrops! Her sympathy made her seem so beautiful!

“I believe that it can be cured. You should wipe away your tears! I need to make a phone call.” Wang Yan did her best to refrain from crying again. Some time later, her husband arrived. Sigh!

Zhang Fan accepted Wang Yan as his patient and started the necessary examinations!

When Zhang Fan returned home later that night, he found that Shao Hua wasn’t studying accounting, nor was she eating dinner. She was just sitting on the sofa with a blank expression. When Shao Hua’s mom saw Zhang Fan, she secretly asked him, “Did you two have an argument? Rest assured, I’ll talk to her in a bit. She’s a bit stubborn. She’ll be better after a bit!”

“We didn’t have an argument, Ma’am. Her coworker is ill. I think that she’s feeling bad because of this!”

“Oh! I see. No wonder she hasn’t said a single word since returning home. I asked her what was going on, but she wouldn’t respond. She only sat on the sofa without even moving!”

“I’ll go console her!”

Zhang Fan gently sat down by Shao Hua’s side. Shao Hua gently leaned into his embrace. “Zhang Fan!” Shao Hua couldn’t help that tears started flowing down again.

“What’s the matter?” Zhang Fan was rather confused. He wondered if Shao Hua had become foolish from fright!

“If, I say if, if I got this same lupus disease, will you also just abandon me and not care about me anymore!?” Shao Hua’s tears dripped down from her long eyelashes as she gazed pitifully at Zhang Fan. She had also researched what lupus was on the internet when she returned to her bank for work!

“Ptui! Ptui! Ptui! Don’t jinx things! First of all, you won’t get this disease. Secondly, no matter in life or death, I’ll always be in front to defend you!”

“Sheesh, what are you doing, talking about life and death! Do you want me to live or not!” Shao Hua’s mother exclaimed. Although Zhang Fan had said that he didn’t have an argument with Shao Hua, her mother still couldn’t help but eavesdrop!

“Alright, Mom, I won’t say anything more. I’m hungry!” Shao Hua was now feeling slightly better. Now that she was an adult, there were some things that were awkward for her to say to her parents, so she could only ask her mother to leave.

“Just what exactly happened? I can sense that you’re especially nervous.” Zhang Fan forcefully hugged Shao Hua, trying to give her a sense of safety with his strong arms.

Shao Hua looked right at him, and said, “This afternoon, when Sister Wang came back to the bank to take some sick leave, her face had a red slap mark on it! I asked her what happened. She started crying so wretchedly when it was just the two of us! Her husband actually wanted a divorce when he learned that she had lupus! The two of them started arguing, and he even hit her. Zhang Fan, I’m afraid! Will you treat me like this in the future?”

“He’s a beast, such a beast! Did she call the police?” Zhang Fan was really angry. He felt that such a man couldn’t even compare to a beast, to be able to hit a patient who was also his own wife like that!

“Sigh! I think that she probably didn’t.”